THE KELTS OF COLONIAL BOSTON.
BY THOMAS ACKLAND, BOSTON, MASS.
I am going to unfold for you a chapter of unwritten history; to tell you in a brief way the story of the part played by men of Erin in the early life of this city—from the time of its settlement in the year 1630 down to the opening of the Revolution.
Historical works do not touch the narrative, Cullen’s Story of the Irish in Boston excepted. Yet even that, admirable as it is and much as it contains, falls far short of giving a complete account. I know not the reasons for this inexcusable neglect of historians, but I have my opinions on the matter.
The story should have been written for two reasons at least; (1) because the Irish were here in large numbers at the period of which I am treating; and (2) they rendered important services to the community.
JAMES E. SULLIVAN, M. D.,
Providence, R. I.
A MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY.
This paper will develop some interesting and striking facts concerning the early history of Boston, and to Americans of Irish blood, unless they be students of colonial history, it would prove a revelation were they to read it. You will see from this narrative that the Irish of those by-gone days were not all hewers of wood and drawers of water, despite the tremendous handicaps of racial and religious hostility and the disproportion of the numbers in comparison to the English.
On the contrary, some of them shone as patriots and statesmen; in the fields of art and invention; and in various ways of lesser importance there were many whose names deserve recording in a discourse of this nature.
Some years ago I became interested in a letter which appeared in one of our daily papers containing a few facts about the pioneer store-keeper of Boston—the first person to start a business here and thus earn for himself the title of “The Father of Boston Merchants.” The reason for my interest lay in the fact that he was an Irishman. His name was John Cogan.